Over the Rainbow
by Cho Emiko
Summary: Spoilers for OotP- Lupin has a sweet dream


Author's Notes: I kinda whipped this out last night. Way late. After watching Interview With the Vampire twice. That's pathetic ;; Anyway, i already wrote a Sirius' death aftermath fic, but it was no good, so i thought i'd write another one. This one is a little better, but not my best fic, by far. But i thought it might be good enough to post up here. So please comment! Ramble, ramble, mutter...  
  
"Remus"  
  
Sirius was there, in the shadows behind the Muggle grocery, tall and thin. For a moment, leaning against the brick wall, his long hair loose and black and shining, he appeared the young schoolboy Lupin had fallen in love with. The pain and pressure of his years in Azkaban was lifted and he was Padfoot again, bold and unstoppable.  
  
"Sirius, you know you shouldn't be out of the house. How on earth did you get past that dreaful painting? As a dog, was it?"  
  
Only a slow, easy, teasing smile, and Lupin sighed, tired. "it doesn't matter anyway, just let's not be foolish and get you back without being seen. Only... only give me a moment to think how it's to be done." Tired? No, he wasn't tired. He was exhausted. He swayed on his feet, put his hand against the brick wall to steady himself, and found himself sinking down to sit on an overturned crate, breathing shallow. Lupin couldn't remember feeling so empty, so drained, not since James' death, and not since... not since...  
  
"No, no..." Sirius had come from behind, leaning down and putting his arms around Lupin. "Don't think of that... Think of me now. Think of how we were... How it used to be..."  
  
Lupin rolled his head back, resting it on Sirius' shoulder. "We never call each other by our names anymore." He didn't quite know what he meant, but Sirius seemed to, and with a small laugh he said,  
  
"Let's go bacck then. I'll be Padfoot and you'll be Moony, if you still remember how..."  
  
"Of course," Lupin said, a little smile playing about his lips. In his mind he saw them as they had once been, young and with worry or care. Peter was not there, but James was, and Sirius, and himself... They were outside on the grounds of Hogwarts...  
  
The sun was bright on Moony's eyes and he opened them to see his friends the Marauders lying around him in the grass by the lake. Padfoot had his hand discreetly linked in Moony's, and James appeared to be dozing lightly. Within him, Moony felt a growing warmth and a strange desire to cry. How he had missed this.  
  
Coming towards them now was Peter, little Wormtail, and Prongs woke up to greet him. They all sat up, smiling and waving at their friend, but Prongs... There was something wrong with Prongs... The closer Peter got to him, the more he seemed to fade away, like a ghost, until Wormtail embraced him like a brother, and kissed his cheek, and James disappeared entirely.  
  
And then Peter disappeared too, bursting violently into fragments of light.  
  
Moony turned in fright to Sirius, relieved to find him still crouched beside him. But Sirius had a distant, listening expression on his face, and his head was cocked to one side. Lupin stopped and listened, and then heard what Sirius did- Harry Potter was screaming somewhere, in pain and terror, and hatred.  
  
And to Moony's horror, Sirius stood with a slow, regretful smile, and whispered, "I'm sorry, my friend. I must go... I have to go..." and strode off with long, purposeful steps, fading as he went. And when he was entirely gone from sight, Moony, unable to move with shock and grief, heard Harry's cries stop and turn to wrenching sobs. Moony felt Sirius pass through him one last time, warm and bright, and then the light was gone, and everything faded like his friends.  
  
Lupin knew he was awake now. He could hear Harry turning restlessly over and over in the room next to Lupin's. Ron was snoring fitfullly. Crookshanks nosed past Lupin's door, prowling.  
  
Lupin tried to recall the feeling of Sirius passing through him, and nearly could... But he was left with a shadow of the quality of love and friendship he and Sirius had shared.  
  
He tried to be angry with Harry. Tried to blame him for the death of his friend. But he couldn't really. It was Sirius' own fault, in the end. That was the way it had always been, between the four of them.  
  
Lupin tried to go back to sleep. For hours, and hours, he tried, and then just before dawn, he gave up and threw some things in a suitcase. He left a note beside Harry's bed, pausing to brush the hair (so like James') back from the scar. And then he left the house, silently as possible, and was gone.  
  
When Harry awoke, he went downstairs for breakfast. It was hours later, after a few rounds of Wizard chess with Ron, that he discovered Lupin's note. He thundered downstairs at once, unable, to speak, and thrust it into Mrs. Weasley's hands.  
  
"Dear Harry: I know how irresponsible this is of me, but i feel that i must ask of you- Voldemort is yours by right, but Peter Pettigrew is mine, and mine alone. I must ask you to leave him to me for the moment. Yours in love and friendship always, Remus Lupin."  
  
Depending on the feedback i get, i might actually continue this into Lupin's search for Pettigrew... what do you think? 


End file.
